Adrienne Rich, May 16, 1929 – March 27, 2012
Wilderness flashlight
One tiny, brave beam cuts through
Lonely, then leading
Her NY Times obituary is here.
Earl Scruggs, Jan. 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012
Heavenly breakdown
God said, “Earl, I need you to
“Come in on banjo”
Banjo pioneer
And picker extraordinaire
Rest in peace, Earl Scruggs
His NY Times obituary is here.
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, March 28, 1986
It’s Gaga’s birthday
Wonder what’s her idea
Of a “birthday suit”?
A star for this age
Socially aware, using
The ‘Net to connect
A star of outrage
Or at least one who’s able
To create a stir
A dash of Grace Jones
And echoes of Madonna
Still, Gaga’s unique
And beneath the flash
She can really play, write, sing
— And sell to millions
Not just marketing,
I think, when she stands against
AIDS, and bullying
She appreciates
Being different, celebrates
Living on the fringe
We marginalize
Way too many dear people
She welcomes them in
So happy birthday
Stefani Germanotta
Have a Gaga day!
Stephen Sondheim born
This date, 1939
Musical master
Stephen wasn’t born
A master, of course, though he
Caught the bug at 9
Passion sustained him
Through divorce of his parents,
Mother’s cruelty
Hammerstein friendship,
Mentorship showed him the ropes
Taught him to compose
Soon he wrote lyrics
“West Side Story” and “Gypsy”
He was on his way
Music, lyrics flowed
And “A Funny Thing” happened
“Company, “Follies”
And “Send in the Clowns”
From “A Little Night Music”
Was Top 40 hit
Impressive awards
For show tunes: Oscar, Tonys
Even Pulitzer
From difficulty,
Math-to-music mind, much toil
He fashioned genius
Clever, biting words
And complex polyphony
Told stories in song
“Sweeney Todd” stripped bare
The mad human appetites
Fed by life’s tortures
“Sunday in the Park”
Extraordinary picture
Vision’s fevered grip
Ambiguity
In all its splendor and pain
Hearts cracked wide open
All so delicious
And so outside-looking-in
Sondheim to the core
World Poetry Day
Shanti, irini, malu
Béke, fifa, peace
Of what use are words
Vrede, wolakota, fred
Sérë, amani
If not to heal hearts
Sidi, layeni, hoa binh
Kapayapaan, paz
If not to bind wounds
Heiwa, rukun, hasiti
Ukuthula, pasch
If not to spread love
Soksang, pokoj, santiphap
Peoning hwa, pax
All we are saying
Paix, taika, rongo, baris
Uxolo, paci
Is give peace a chance
Solh, mir, pau, hetep, shalom
World Poetry Day
Spring, time to create
Renew faith in life, rebirth
And all its promise
Spring, time to believe
In the miracles, inhale
Perfume of life’s blooms
Spring, time to unfold
Choices, possibilities
One for each raindrop
Spring’s light, and shadows
Fall on some for the last time
Make way for the next
Earth and seasons turn
Plot gardens, burial plots
Cycles none escape
Baby grass springs new
Demands drink — dew, showers, tears
Nature’s thirst cares not
From March 20, 2011
The first day of Spring
Daffodils and crocuses
Say it’s bloomin’ time
Spring has sprung today
And that’s nothing to sneeze at
Or maybe it is
The first day of Spring
Soon the bees will be saying:
“Hey buds! Let’s party!”
Spring has sprung today
And April showers will bring
May crabgrass, you’ll see
The bunnies of spring
Are hoppin’, so their babies
Can’t be far behind
“Vernal equinox”
I think that’s the Latin for
“The back yard’s flooded”
March 16, 1926
Robert Goddard launched
Liquid-fueled dream, and yes it
WAS rocket science
Shooting for the stars
Some dream, some do it — a blast
From the rocket man
“This Day in History” story is here.
One thing I’m sure of
Can’t be sure of anything
Yes, I’m sure of that
For how do we know
What we think we know, really?
Reason with me here
We think we decide
Based on logic, not feelings
But that’s a brain trick
We should admit there’s
No such thing as pure reason,
Disembodied thought
Because brains are part
Of the body, sensory
Organs like the rest
We hear what we want
Faulty memories, senses
Make us sure “That’s right!”
Surely certainty
Is a feeling, cleverly
Disguised as a thought
It’s the ultimate
In emotion, not reason,
That certain feeling
I guess that explains
Why more facts don’t often help
To change someone’s mind
Ambiguity
Seems more real, honest, though it’s
Less satisfying
Eventually, though
You have to decide, and act
— Just don’t be so sure
And of course, some things
We do know — and know they’re based
On all sorts of things
We know whom we love
And treasure, who makes our lives
Worth living each day
And sure, some feelings
Will disappear — so will life.
It’s called “now.” Live it.
It’s 3 point 1-4
March 14th, known as “pi day”
Around math circles
Area of pie,
Circumference of my waist
Sadly do compute
I see apple fall
Unlike Newton I think “pi”
And not gravity
There I go again
Off on tangents — unlike me
Pi never repeats
Cherry or pecan
I like pie, like pi, to go
On infinitely
Akira Yoshizawa, March 14, 1911 – March 14, 2005
Happy birthday to
Akira Yoshizawa
Magic in creases
Knew when to fold ’em
— And how! — the modern master
Of origami
Greg's Hack-u 